Honoring MacLean?
I was reading this morning where North Carolina will retire the jersey of Tyler Hansbrough, and it got me thinking about UCLA.
Don MacLean is not only UCLA's all-time scoring leader with 2,608 points, but the Pac-10's all-time scoring leader. His career average of 20.5 points per game is second in school history, behind Lew Alcindor's 26.4 per game.
MacLean is also fifth all-time in rebounding at 992, which is 7.8 per game. So I pose this poll question:
Brian,
Before you start an unauthorized campaign to retire former players jerseys, I would suggest that you first do your research and learn the criteria UCLA uses to retire basketball players numbers. This is a moot point, but obviously you still don't know much about the history of UCLA Athletics...
Rejn is correct. There are very specific objective criteria that must be met to have your jersey retired. I'm sure the athletic dept. can fill you in.
Your post is like saying, UCLA won another pac 10 championship, or went to another final four. Why don't we put up a banner?
Walt Hazzard's 42 which is already retired?
A noble gesture, Brian, but if you recall, Walt Hazzard had to give his blessing to Kevin Love to un-retire his number...
i believe you have to be a national player of the year (similar to unc's requirements).
Brian's heart is in the right place, but I'm pretty sure you have to be an all-American every year in order to have your jersey retired at UCLA.
Brian's heart was in the right place (this time), but I'm pretty sure you have to be a first team all-American every year you play in order to have your jersey retired at UCLA.
The criteria has changed several times. It began as a three-time all-American, than was changed to a national player of the year. Gail Goodrich was neither, yet had his jersey retired recently because of another change in the criteria used.
And there is no agenda. It is a simple question. I find it interesting when people read into things more than face value, and proclaim that is the reason for posing such a topic.
It was indeed a simple and innocent question, and perhaps one worth asking.
The responses were largely critical and negative. But this is because sports fan are more critical and negative than non-sports fans. The reason?-- because they "identify" with their team so much that when the team ultimately loses (even UCLA is a 5:1 underdog to win the NCAAs), they feel angry, depressed, and often will lash out at the team. These are the seeds of a critical, negative attitude.
Misplaced values, but what can you do?
I am not trying to be critical, just curious. Can you retire a number which is already retired?
yes, people are wondering if you can retire a number that is already retired? Donny Mac wore 42.
and onlythetruth, do you wear a toga all day? btw, i think the word "fan" has more to do with it than "sports".
TH was named national POY. They may have adjusted the rule to honor Goodrich but I believe the standard is you have to have been AA three years, National POY or MVP in a Final Four. DonnyMac was a fine college player. He scored the most points in school history but that's just one dimension. I don't see a problem retiring jerseys for multiple players with the same number - just put the guys' names on their jerseys - but I don't hink DonnyMac reaches the criteria established by Abdul-Jabbar, Walton, Johnson, Hazzard, Goodrich and O'Bannon. We hang BANNERS at Ucla - NC Banners - and jerseys that go along with that IMO.
To answer the question, no, I do not think MacLean's jersey should be retired. On a related question, Why is Love allowed to wear a "retired" number? IMO this was not Hazzard's decision to make and he should not have been asked to make it. The number was retired by the school for very specific reasons. Allowing numbers to be unretired for recruiting purposes cheapens the entire process.